By now, you’ve probably heard that the New England Patriots are headed to yet another Super Bowl. If you feel as I do about that, pause now to stifle your vomit or go ahead and let it spew. Ok sure, they’ve won a lot of Super Bowls lately and that’s cause for respect and commendation, right? The New York Yankees of football, right? Maybe, but not so fast. This week, as you’ve probably also heard, the NFL discovered that eleven... Read more
(We here at the Rogue are huge Parks and Recreation fans. On January 13, it begins its final season at 8:00 PM EST. Jo Schaffer writes about her favorite character on the show) Some say that gender roles are dead. The “new woman” can do anything a man does and the “new man” is allowed his feelings, to love shopping for clothes and even the occasional manicure. While some of this may be progress there are a few things happening... Read more
“What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?” I’ve been thinking a lot recently about movies which have had a profound impact on my faith. One such movie is the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell. Our lead character Phil, an arrogant TV weatherman is assigned to cover the annual Groundhog Day celebration in Puxatawney, PA and manages to become... Read more
We’re now a week into 2015 and if you’re anything like me, you might have noticed we’ve finally reached the year that Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled to in Back to the Future Part II. The crazy unknown they zapped themselves into, aka the future. Back when the film was released in 1989, trying to picture 2015 was nearly as hard as trying to picture 3015. After all, while the world of the 80s saw some advances in technology,... Read more
Like the rest of the world, I’m horrified at the Charlie Hebdo shootings in France. Gunmen killed twelve people because the humor magazine posted supposedly offensive cartoons of Mohammed. People have reacted to the horrific events with outrage and holding up pens to show their solidarity with those slain on the alter of free speech. This is all very good. Certainly, those who write or create art shouldn’t be cowed by the barrel of a gun. Terror can never dictate what we can or cannot... Read more
In writing my YA novel, Against Her Will, I had to immerse myself in some sad realities. The story follows the struggles of teens in a psych ward who battle their inner demons in a place where not everything that happens is for their own good. As a nurse in a facility, co-author, Serita Stevens, has witnessed the sometimes horrific outcome when young people have been the victims of mistreatment. The book has strong themes about bullying and the... Read more
I’m not sorry to see 2014 go. It’s been like riding a roller coaster ride conceived by Quentin Tarantino with enough violent twists to make anyone’s neck snap. A few of the turns include: I got a job as a book editor and moved to Notre Dame, Indiana. I love my job. I get to produce great books and help fellow authors hone their words. Is there a better job for a writer? I don’t think so. The whole thing... Read more
This year has been a heavy one for a lot of people in my immediate circle and for the world in general. As stories of unrest, bigotry, terrorism and other bad news stream at us through the media, it’s difficult to see the peace on earth or good will toward men. Sometimes, finding hope in adversity seems impossible. But, the silver linings are there if we have eyes to see. Even in the smaller events in our lives we can... Read more
When I was a child, I always looked forward to Christmas with a sense of hope and wonder. Christmas wasn’t just one day in which we gave gifts and celebrated the birth of our Lord. It was two weeks of wonderful family togetherness and tradition thanks to Christmas break from school that coincided with the yearly steelworker union layoffs. Not that I understood that at the time. I only knew that I got to spend days on end with both... Read more
Merry Christmas, everyone! Or if that saying bothers you, don’t worry, I understand. But bear with me for a moment because I’d like to tell you a story. A story about how even in the bleakest, ugliest, most selfish corners of our world – like New Jersey – generosity still does exist. This past Sunday, my wife Tara and I took our three-year-old daughter, Kaylin, to see Santa Claus at a local mall. Aside from our first family visit in... Read more
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